RFA ships stages to SaxaVord Spaceport

Important milestone RFA Ships Stages to SaxaVord Spaceport

2026-03-15 Source: Press release Rocket Factory Augsburg | Translated by AI 1 min Reading Time

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First orbital launch planned for summer 2026.

Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has delivered its first and second stages of the RFA ONE launch vehicle to SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland, reaching an important milestone on the road to the first test flight, which is planned for summer 2026.

Over the past 18 months, RFA has advanced the development of the first and second stages, focusing on improvements to the Helix engine, tank pressurisation systems, and operating procedures. The causes of the incident during a hot fire test of a first stage in August 2024 have been fully understood and addressed.
The first stage was newly built and tested in Augsburg (Germany), before being delivered to the launch site at SaxaVord in February 2026, where it will be further integrated with its rocket engines. The nine Helix engines are currently being tested in Sweden and delivered to SaxaVord on a rolling basis.

Following a successful hot fire test at the Esrange Space Center in Sweden, the second stage has now been transported to the SaxaVord spaceport, where it has arrived safely and is currently undergoing final checks.Now, preparations are underway for the integration and further testing of the entire RFA ONE launch vehicle. Dr. Stefan Brieschenk, Chief Development Officer at RFA, says: “Following the incident in 2024, we thoroughly reviewed, analysed, and tested everything and improved the systems to achieve even greater reliability. The arrival of our first and second stages at the SaxaVord spaceport is proof of our team’s commitment and expertise.” Final testing of the nine Helix rocket engines for the first stage of the RFA ONE launch vehicle is currently underway in Kiruna, Sweden. Once testing is complete, the engines will be transported to the launch site and integrated into the first stage. The first orbital flight of RFA ONE is scheduled for summer 2026.

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